Surgical needle.



G. AQDRAKE & S. W. DODD. SURGICAL NEEDLE. IPPLIOA TION FILED EAL 31, 190B. RENEWED MAB. 16, 1909.

919,138. Patented Apr. 20, 1909.

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. and SAMUEL W. DoDD, citizens of the United oNrTED sTA'rEs PATENT CLARENCE A. DRAKE, OF WEST ORANGE, AND SAMUEL W. DODD, OF MONTOLAIR, NEW JERSEY.

SURGICAL Application filed March 31, 1908, Serial No. 424,397. Renewed March 16, 1909.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, CLARENCE A. DRAKE States, residing at West Orange and Montclair, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Surgical Needles; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

Our invention relates to surgical needles, I and the object of the same is to produce a magazine needle which after insertion j through the walls of a wound may be withl drawn, without further injury to the parts, while leaving the suture, or other filament, in place.

As is well known, the needles of this character, now in use by surgeons, are provided with a spear shaped point, and have eyes for receiving the sutures, located at a considerable distance from the extreme ends of their point. In using the present needle, a suit able length of the filament is cut and threaded through the eye; the needle and doubled filament is then forced through both walls of the wound, when one end of the filament or suture is then drawn through leaving the needle and a single length of the filament l piercing the said walls. Next, in order to remove the needle and at the same time to leave the suture in place, the latter is firmly held at each end and the needle forced, or backed out of the hole just pierced by it. It is in this necessary act of withdrawing the present style of needle, while the suture is still threaded through its eye, that painful lacerations of the parts are apt to occur, and it is the main object of our invention to over come this grave defect.

To this end our invention consists broadly of a needle of a tubular form, provided with l a filament, or suture, which projects through its extreme end, and which can therefore be withdrawn without any danger of lacerating or further injuring the wound already made.

Our invention further consists in the novel combination of parts more fully hereinafter disclosed and particularly pointed out in the claims.

Referring to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification in which like numerals refer to like parts in all the Specification of Letters Patent.

NEEDLE.

Patented April 20, 1909.

Serial No. 483,869.

views :Figure 1, is a perspective view of our complete magazine needle. Fig. 2, a sectional view of the feeding part of the needle taken along the line 22 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3, a detail perspective view of the feeding clamp for the suture. Fig. 1, .a sectional view of a ortion of the curved portion of our needle talfen along the line 44 of Fig. 5, and Fig. 5, an elevational view of the point end of our needle.

1 represents any suitable handle, but preferably of the tubular magazine type shown; 2 a closure for the extreme rear end; and 8 a closure for the front end of the same. Into the closure 3, is screw threaded, or otherwise fitted, the feeding portion 41 of our needle, which may be provided with the threaded projection 5, the cylindrical hollow bore 6, terminating in the tapered bore 7, and the smaller bore 8 for the accommodation of the filament, or suture 9. Into the cylin drical bore 6, fits the cylindrical feeding clamp 10, provided with the thumb piece 11, the split clamping jaws 12, tapered, as shown, and having the enlarged head 14. Over these jaws 12 fits the clamping ring 13, for a purpose to be described below.

The point portion of our magazine needle is preferably made in a se arate piece from the feeding portion, and suitably joined thereto. It is, also, preferably given two bends 15 and 16, each at right angles to the axis of the handle portion, as best shown in Figs. 1 and 5. In fact, in those needles used for suturing wounds or lacerations located in the deep cavities of the body, these two bends are essential, as is well known to sur geons. Each of the bends 15 and 16 are made with as large a curvature as possible, in order to permit the suture to pass freely along the bore, and the extreme point 17 of our needle is suitably beveled off and rounded in order that it may pierce easily.

The feeding portion 1, is provided with a slot 18, into which slides the thumb piece 11,

and the suture 9, leads through the clamping piece 10, and the bore 8, to the extreme point 17 of the needle, which has cutting edges near the bore to cut the suture by a turn of the instrument.

The operation of our magazine needle is as follows :A number of sutures of the proper length may be stored in the handle 1, and when a wound is to be sewed up, one of these sutures is prepared in the ordinary way, and

the feeding portion 4, being disconnected from the handle portion, the suture is threaded through the feeding piece 10, allowing its end to extend a proper distance beyond the head 14. The ring 13 is then slipped over the tapered jaws 12, and the suture clamped in place. The feeding piece 10, is next introduced into the cylindrical bore 6 of the feeding portion l, and the suture threaded through the bore 8, out to the point 17 of the needle. The thumb piece 11 is next moved almost bacx to its extreme position, as shown in Fig. 2, and the end of the suture cut off close to the point 17 of the needle, when a further rearward movement of the thumb piece will bring the said end about even with, or slightly inside the point 17. The parts being thoroughly sterilized, the handle is grasped and the stitch taken in the usual manner. XV hen the point of the needle comes through, a forward movement of the thumb piece 11, will force the suture out of the end 17 so it can be grasped, and at the same time the impingement of the band 13 against the walls of the tapered bore 7, will release the suture so it can slide through the needle. The forward end of the suture being held firmly, the cylindrical needle can be backed out of, or withdrawn from the hole made by itself, without causing any additional injury, and the suture can, at the same time, be left in place; then by giving a slight rotary motion to the entire instrument, while holding the suture tight in the other hand of the operator, it is cut off by the cutting edge next the bore, at the length desired. To take another stitch, repeat the operation, and so on indefinitely, the suture in the magazine all being in one piece.

Although our needle is best adapted to operate in the cavities of the body, and therefore in such case requires the two bends 15 and 16; yet, it is evident that our invention is not limited to this form, since it is applicable to surgical needles in general, no matter what their shape may be. Therefore we do not wish to be understood as limiting ourselves to the exact structure and operation disclosed, but reserve the right to suitably modify both so long as the same object is accomplished.

What we claim is 1. A surgical needle curved in two planes at substantially right angles to each other, having a hollow piercing point adapted to carry a suture and sliding means for feeding said suture through said point, substantially as described.

2. A surgical needle composed of a handle and a tube curved in two planes, at substantially right angles to each other, at its outer end provided with a hollow piercing point adapted to carry a suture, and having sliding means inside said handle for feeding said suture through said point, substantially as described.

3. A. surgical needle composed of a handle and a be having a tubular piercing point adapted to carry a suture, and provided with sliding means inside said handle for forcibly feeding said suture through said point, substantially as described.

4. A surgical needle composed of a tube having a curved tubular piercing point adapted to carry a suture, and provided with sliding means for feeding said suture through said point, substantially as described.

in a surgical needle, the combination of a handle portion; a sliding feeding means in said handle; and a tubular end portion provided with a tubular piercing point adapted to carry a suture, and have the same forced therethrough V by said feeding means, substantially as described.

6. In a surgical needle, the combination of a handle portion; a sliding feeding means in said handle portion comprising a clamping member; and a curved tubular end portion provided with a tubular piercing point adapted to carry a suture, and have the same forced therethrough by said feeding means, substantially as described. 7 In a surgical needle, the combination of a handle portion; a feeding portion provided with a cylindrical and a tapered bore; a clamping member adapted to slide in said bores; and a tubular piercing portion having two curves angularly disposed with reference to the axis of said. handle, and having a tubular piercing point adapted to receive a suture, substantially as described. 8. In a surgical needle, the combination of a magazine handle portion; a detachable feeding portion provided with a cylindrical and a tapered bore; a clamping member adapted to slide in said bores provided with a clamping ring; and a tubular piercing portion having two curves angularly disposed with reference to the axis of said handle, and having a tubular piercing point adapted to receive a suture, substantially as described.

in a surgical needle, thecombination of a magazine handle portion; a detachable feeding portion; a clamping member provided with a thumb piece adapted to slide in said feeding portion; and a hollow tubular piercing portion having twocurves at right angles to the axis of the handle portion, and provided with a sharp hollow piercing point adapted to receive a suture and to have the same forced therethrough by said clamping member, substantially as described.

10. In a surgical needle, the combination of magazine handle portion; a detachable feeding portion provided with a cylindrical and a tapered bore; a clamping member provided with tapered jaws and a compressing ring encircling the same'and a thumb piece adapted to slide in said feeding portion; and latter is being withdrawn, substantially as 10 a hollow tubular piercing portion having two described.

curves at right angles to the axis of the han- In testimony whereof, we afliX our signadle portion, and provided with a sharp hollow tures, in presence of two witnesses.

' piercing point adapted to receive a suture CLARENCE A. DRAKE.

and to have the same forced therethrough by SAMUEL W. DODD. said clamping member, the whole being so Witnesses: constructed that the said suture may readily SAMUEL W. EooKwooD,

slide through the piercing portion, when the JAMEs R, STEWART, Jr. 

